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Saturday, February 27, 2016

Quick Sock & Teaching Update


Hi, Knitters,
I want to quickly let you know about a few teaching and book signing events I have coming very soon. Next week, Feb. 28-March 3, 2016, I am off to film a brand new Craftsy class! This class has been a long time coming and I am super excited to get back to Craftsy again. 



March 1, 2016 ~ Fancy Tiger Crafts 
I'll be heading over to Fancy Tiger Crafts in Denver, Colorado, at 7pm! They are hosting me for a book signing and hangout (thank you!). I can't wait to see this shop as I've heard such great things about it for years. I hope to see you there!



March 18-20, 2016 ~ A Good Yarn 
I am so excited to be teaching all weekend at A Good Yarn in Sarasota, Florida! I am debuting a new sock class called, How I Make My Socks, which should be super fun. I am also teaching my Shawl Shapes workshop, a full day of the Build a Toy Workshop, and one of my all-time favorites, the Sock Bunny workshop. It looks to be a fun weekend ahead. 

I have also heard this shop is super fantastic so I can't wait to check it out and visit with all of the wonderful Florida knitters. And how perfect that I get to go to Florida in March when it will still be cold here in Madison. What a treat. I hope to see you in class! 


Photo of the shop is from the Fibre Space website.

May 19-21, 2016 ~ Fibre Space
Registration has opened for my weekend of five workshops at one of my favorite shops in the country, Fibre Space. I am so excited to be teaching for the third time at this beautiful Alexandria, Virginia location. Thank you, Danielle, for inviting me back! I hope to see you there.


Here are the classes with links:

Now for the sock update. I finished the first sock in the Wool Barn Soft Pink Tweed Sock yarn. It is so beautiful. I combined my How I Make My Socks pattern along with the Eyelet Mock Cable Rib stitch pattern used in Paula Emons-Fuessle's Ellison Bay Shawl. 


I have a good start on the second sock. There really is something sweet and wonderful about the combination of the stitch pattern, the yarn and the Golden Oak wooden needles I am using. Even the linked hearts stitch marker from Little Skein adds to the beauty. I think I will bring this with me on the plane for my trip to Denver next week. 

Yarn: Wool Barn Tweed Sock in the Soft Pink colorway
Needles: Dyakcraft double-pointed needles, US size 1/2.25mm in Golden Oak, 6-inch length
Wood Sock Blocker from theloopyewe.com 


Lastly, if you think this sock looks wider and longer than my usual socks you are correct. I am knitting a new pair for my baker son. His foot measures 11-inches in length, US men's shoe size 11, and I cast on 72 stitches instead of my usual 64 stitches for me.

I am combining two self-striping sock yarn balls from Lollipop Yarn. I am working the cuff, heel and toes in an Opal dark heather gray colorway. To work the sock striping yarn I am knitting through one full striping repeat in one yarn, cutting the yarn and then working the striping sequence from the second yarn. One of the colorways has 3 stripes and the other has four stripes, each stripe is about 6 rounds.

There were some ends to weave in but it took less than 15 minutes to get the job done. That's not too bad at all and it is totally worth it. I love the look of the finished sock and by combining two self-striping colorways of sock yarn you get a completely different striping pattern with more colors which is really fun. 

Yarn: Lollipop Yarn ~ combining two skeins
Sock blocker from theloopyewe.com

And I am very proud of that placemat in the photo above. I make a lot of quilted placemats for my family and for gifts. This one is different though because I used an idea from a new book called, Quilt as You Go Made Modern. This technique has you sew down strips of fabric directly to the batting and then you add the backing, quilt those together and then you add the binding. It was so much fun to make the off-kilter log cabin pattern. Free form quilting is so much more fun for me than super-precise quilting. I love this book! 


Wish me luck with my Craftsy filming next week. I have been working so hard to get ready for the new class. I can't say what the topic is yet but the new class will be released I think by the end of March so it will be soon enough. I think you will like it.

I'll be back soon with more. Have a great weekend.
xo ~ susan

16 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing such beautiful pictures. Have fun on your teaching adventures. xx from a fan.

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  2. So excited about your new Craftsy class! Wish I could follow you around all these stops sound amazing

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  3. Good luck next week you will be fantastic! I think you may have may me want to try quilting. Looking forward to trying the book.
    Thanks,

    Jenn

    Knitdarling on Rav

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  4. What great news this morning! I look forward to the Craftsy class--good luck next week--and the new sock pattern.

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  5. Needless to say, your work is so beautiful. I love everything you post. I love to knit and would love to knit socks, but for some reason my projects never seem to look quite as professional as yours. Do you have any tips regarding yarn, type of needles etc? When will you be able to announce the title of your new class?

    Have a lovely day?

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  6. Hi Deb55,
    Thank you so much! I like to use double-pointed needles for my socks, usually I work with Signature Needle Arts dpns in the 6-inch length. I use Knit Picks and other needles, too, Karbonz.... they are all good.

    I use any type of sock or fingering weight for the most part. I love to try different yarns.

    My class will come out by the end of March, I think! I will definitely announce it here on the blog and other places when it hits the interwebs:)

    Susan

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  7. That pink tweed is so pretty!

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  8. I'm really looking forward to a new Craftsy class from you. :D How do shops/groups arrange with you to teach in their areas? I'd love for you to do a weekend here in the Traverse City, MI region.

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  9. People arranging events/teaching venues generally just send me an email. My email is on the sidebar of my blog. I'm not scheduling much at the moment, 2016 is booked and I have a couple of things scheduled for 2017 but I am going slow on adding more right now.

    Thanks for asking Lindy:)
    Susan

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  10. Where do you get the Opal Solids sock yarn I've seen you mention in a lot of your sock posts? I haven't been able to find it. What's the fiber content? Maybe I can find something similar.
    One of these years I'm going to make it to one of your workshops, I Hope!:)

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  11. Tamarack sewing,
    I think a lot of the Opal solid colors were sent to me by the distributor so I'm not sure where to purchase those. I do have a lot of Regia solid colorways, too, and you can purchase those here: http://www.hotyarns.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=regia

    The fiber content is maybe 75% superwash wool, 25% nylon for both Opal and Regia. Very similar yarns.

    I hope to see you in a workshop someday soon!!

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  12. Hope all goes well with your new Craftsy class filming. I enjoy your YouTubes so much....I'm sure you'll do another stellar job with Craftsy.

    Thanks for the heads up on the quilt-as-you-go book. I'm ordering it!

    Judy

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  13. Hello Susan, I will be meeting you here in Florida on March 18 for your Shawl Shapes class and am so looking forward to it! This is a Christmas present from my husband and children......I pray that it will be the most perfect of March days for your weekend here...we've been having amazingly beautiful weather...Love to you.....Ana

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  14. Susan I have purchased both of your classes from Craftsy and you are just a joy to watch. I look forward to whatever your new class is about. I love seeing the treats that your baker son makes and I just seeing the pictures of your family life creates joy in my heart. All the best to you and your family. 😊

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  15. Susan...thanks for the link to your Wee Ones Craftsy class...I so enjoyed it and was able to accomplish a hippo...I never imagined I could do it. I love your instructions...great job...I wonder if your new class will be socks??? I have discovered I love knitting toys...I have most of your books. Again, loved your videos...lynn, a knitter who is in process!!! Blessings...

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  16. Thanks for the link for your Wee Ones class on Craftsy....I never imagined I could do what you taught...but I have a hippo...loved that video class. I am hoping your newest class is about socks...a bucket list knitting wish...Thanks again, you are a delight...blessings, lynn hall

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